“I know. But I can tell you’re not bitter,” she said, then bit her lip to stifle a smile.
“Of course not.”
The corners of his mouth turned up and the movement felt rusty. He’d forgotten how she could do that, even at fourteen. She was even better now. In just a few words she’d pointed out what an idiot he was making of himself and made him smile at the same time.
“You’re right about Dad,” she said. “But it probably wouldn’t do any good to say I’m sorry.”
“Nope. It was a long time ago.” He folded his arms over his chest. “It’s water under the bridge.”
“Is it?” she asked. “With Jen, too?” She looked like his answer meant a lot to her.
“Yeah. I’m not the same green kid. And you said Jen’s moved forward. Now that she’s married, probably with a couple kids—”
Taylor shook her head. “There hasn’t been anyone else—since Zach.”
“That’s hard to believe.”
“As pretty as she is?” she asked. Without waiting for an answer she continued. “She was busy with college and law school, then her career. But I think it’s more than that. She’s a one-man woman.” There was an edge to her voice, as if she was trying to convince him of the fact.
“Are you a one-man woman, too?”
Her cheeks flooded with color and her gaze lowered to his shirt collar. “We’re not talking about me.”
“But we could.”
She shook her head. “No. I’d rather talk about you.”
He nodded. He had nothing to lose by laying his cards on the table. “Okay. After Jen I moved on.”
“I know.” Her gaze didn’t quite settle on his. “I still remember the stuff in the media. How did it feel to be on the Most Eligible Cowboy in Texas list? A buckle bunny in every port?”
“I think that’s the navy. And don’t believe everything you read,” he warned her.
The tension in her body said she wanted to climb back in the saddle and ride that one until she’d gentled it. But he wasn’t going there. He was a bachelor, but definitely not eligible. He’d once heard nothing was as bad as your first love gone south. The hurt of it was something you never forgot. Jen was smart, beautiful, socially accepted, the kind of woman a guy like him wasn’t supposed to have. And he’d found out he couldn’t have her.
“I’m glad Jen’s okay. I wish her all the best in her life,” he said. “I don’t hold a grudge, Taylor.”
“I’m glad,” she said fervently. “I wish my dad could see you now. What a success you are.”
Would he be such a success if Zach had lived? He liked to think the rivalry made them both better and that he would have beaten Zach Adams. The only thing he’d ever wanted was to be number one, fair and square. Now he would never know.
“I heard your dad passed away.”
She nodded. “Heart attack. A little over a year ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded. “He wasn’t a hard man. In fact just the opposite.”
“If you say so.”
“He just had trouble showing his feelings. Even with Jen and I. It was his way of building character. But he never missed a school or sporting event. I don’t think he disliked rodeo as much as he worried about me participating.”
“You knew him better than I did.”
“You’re right. And he would be glad you’re so successful.”
“Yeah. And pigs can fly,” he scoffed.
“It’s true. In fact, you remind me a lot of him.”
“Them’s fightin’ words,” he said.
She cocked her head to the side and her eyes twinkled. “Did you just make a joke?”
“If it gets out I’ll deny it. And wherever he is, I don’t think your dad would take kindly to you comparing me to him. You’ll be dodging lightning bolts if you’re not careful.”
“Go ahead. Make fun of me. But he wasn’t a man to let on that he cared about the people in his life. It was only okay to be openly emotional about the ranch. I think you hide your softer side like that, too.”
“I used to. When I was younger. But I had a lot to prove back then.”
She slid him a speculative, appraising look. “So what does your softer side care about?”
“Like I said—rodeo.” It was safe to care about that. It was business and only as personal as he cared to get about anything.
“So you’re not really back to prove something?” she asked, looking as if she could see something he couldn’t.
He shook his head. “I’m here to make sure there are championships. That’s all.”
He still wasn’t sure why he’d agreed to Dev’s suggestion that he fill in as commissioner. He’d meant to say no and the next thing he knew, he’d agreed.
“Obviously you know I’m interested in having it here?”
He nodded. “Dev Hart told me. We’ve kept in touch. I suppose you already know that he took over the stock business from his dad.”
Taylor nodded. “We still feed and take care of some of his rodeo animals.”
“That’s right,” he said, feeling as if a video in his head was replaying pictures. More to himself than her he said, “I used to work at the gas station in town to earn the ten bucks a ride your dad charged to let me practice on the bulls. That’s how I first met your sister,” he added, then kicked himself.
He thought he’d forgotten all that. Was it the familiar surroundings bringing it all back?
“So what did you and Dev talk about?” she asked, ignoring the personal and turning the conversation back to business.
Fine with him, Mitch thought. He needed to end this stroll down memory lane. “Dev supplies prime stock to local rodeos as well as events all over the country. When I asked him if he had any suggestions for a site to hold the championships, he suggested the Circle S. I have to admit I was surprised—until I heard about your dad’s passing. He wasn’t a big rodeo supporter.”
“That’s not completely true. He raised stock to sell for the events. He just wasn’t happy about me barrel racing. Watching me compete took him away from the ranch.”
He grinned, as a memory flashed into his mind. “You were the quickest little thing I ever saw. Fourteen seconds the last time I saw you ride.”
